The present invention relates to .[.food.]. packaging and .[.food.]. containers, and more particularly to packaging of multiple .[.food.]. units.
In recent years there has been a great proliferation of factory packaged foods. Particularly common is the use of heat sealable thermal plastic materials, such as polyethylene, which are used, for example, for packaging hot dogs, sausages, bacon, and other food materials where it is important to maintain a sealed and airtight condition to preserve the enclosed food.
Typically thermal plastic packaging is used to package a large number of food items. For example, a package of hot dogs, typically contains 6 to 10 hot dogs contained within one airtight plastic container. This packaging arrangement is suitable if all of the food is going to be cooked immediately when the package is opened, or soon thereafter. But is has obvious drawbacks where the user only wishes to cook one or two hot dogs at a time. This is particularly true, for example, for a small family or for single individuals. At present, one may either prepare all of the food or else risk eating food which is not as fresh as it was at the time the package was opened. Either way, much of the food may be wasted.